“Even Though We Are ‘Moto’, We Are Still ‘Tourists’”: An Assemblage of a Soviet Engineer’s Journey in the Late USSR

Abstract

This article examines the assemblage of motorcycle tourism through the home archive of engineer Vladimir Alekseenko (1931–1977), whose travels exceeded 300,000 kilometers. Documenting his journeys in albums, slides, and films, Alekseenko shared his expertise in publications on motorcycle maintenance. The case exemplifies the Soviet “wild” tourism, which spread in the 1960s, fueled by automobilization, newly expanded leisure time, and the growth of travel infrastructure. The motorcycle tourism represented an expansion of the private sphere through the privatization of time and space. Using Manuel DeLanda’s assemblage theory and John Urry’s concept of the tourist gaze, I analyze a hybrid network in which the rider’s mobility and spatial perception are mediated by a motorcycle, camera, road, and maps. Alekseenko’s archive reveals common leisure activities and the specifics of the engineering and technical workers’ (ITR) DIY practices, which highlights a link between creativity and independent mobility. Although private archival practices are significant for late Soviet history, family archives remain understudied. Making Vladimir Alekseenko’s documents public can contribute empirically to the history of Soviet mobility and subjectivity.

Text in Russian